


Emily the Sneak

by Demmora



Category: Dishonored, Dishonored (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Sneaking, rat dad and cinnamon roll, short fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-29
Updated: 2015-11-29
Packaged: 2018-05-03 22:33:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5309534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demmora/pseuds/Demmora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Short fic for anon who wanted a fic about Emily trying to sneak up on Corvo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Emily the Sneak

For as long as she could remember, Corvo had always been the best at hide and seek. When he was hiding it was almost as though he faded into the walls, and even as the seeker he could move so quietly that Emily would always jump with fright when he found her. When she accused him of cheating he’d simply laugh and tell her to learn to hide better. So that was precisely what Emily did.

Or tried to at least. He still always found her, and any time she tried to sneak away he always found her by the sound of her shoes. So after thinking about it for a while and driven on by the boredom of the pub. Emily decided to try something new. 

The pub was quiet at this time of morning, with Corvo in bed and most of the adults busy with something else. It was the perfect time to practice really, not least of all because it would take Callista a while to find her.

Every morning for the last two weeks she would start the same, by taking her shoes off and sliding her stockinged feet over the wood, imitating the way she’d seen him move, shifting her weight from her heels to her toes, moving slowly and carefully. It wasn’t unlike dancing she’d realized, and with that in mind she’d used her arms and shoulders to balance out her weight until she could move all but silently over the creaky wooden floor of the pub. Next she began practicing on the stairs, which was a lot harder and had kept her occupied for several days, the old wood creaking and groaning under her weight until she realized she could just as easily climb down the side of the banister rather than the actual steps. The thud she made when she landed however was loud, so she climbed back up again and did it again, and again, until her arms ached. But today when she tried it she managed to swing herself a little lower until her toes touched the ground and she dropped silently, grinning to herself.

She wouldn’t need a nasty spy master at this rate, she could just go out and find things for herself. Like Corvo did. 

Pleased with herself she began climbing the stairs, intent on going back to her tower to change into fresh stockings and to hide the ruined ones under her bed so that Callista couldn’t scold her for how dirty they were. The pub really was filthy, and although it had been somewhat of an adventure at first, constant dust and grime had a habit of making her sneeze. About to climb the next set of stairs, she stopped at the sound of  footsteps on the second floor. They were too light to be Admiral Havelock, and Lord Pendleton would still be sick in bed for several more hours, but even if she hadn’t known that all the servants were downstairs, she would have known those familiar footsteps anywhere. Corvo was awake, and he was _creeping._

Biting her bottom lip, Emily came to a conclusion and slipped her shoes off again, and gently pushed open the door to the hallway. Lord Pendelton’s door was still firmly closed and the hallway was empty, but she could see the light was on in Admiral Havelock’s study. Strange considering she’d seen the old man out in the yard talking to Samuel from one if the windows mere moments before. What _was_ Corvo up to?

Slowly and carefully, she began sliding her feet over the floor, testing the unfamiliar floorboards with her toes, and pulling back when the weight felt wrong and the board began to creak. Idly she wondered if this was how Corvo thought all the time, testing his surroundings and always looking for the best solution where others just blundered on. It wouldn’t surprise her. Mommy had always said he tried to think of everything, and chased his tail for several hours each morning just for the exercise. She hadn’t really understood that image until now, though she’d giggled at it often enough. 

Distracted by her thoughts the floorboard under her feet creaked loudly, and the sound of noise coming from the office stopped abruptly. Instinctively Emily pulled back, flattening herself against the wall and holding her breath. When the noise resumed she carried on, stretching her legs as far as she could and hopping over lightly to the other side of the floor where the wood dipped less. When she reached the corner next to the office wall she leant back against the peeling wallpaper. It was hard to move like this, she realized. Her legs hurt as though she’d been running and now that she was genuinely trying to sneak up on someone it was very hard to breathe quietly, her nose itching from the dust, making her eyes water. She wondered how Corvo did it all the time. He’d probably tell her practice. 

The sound of an audiograph turning on made her move again, brave enough to push the door open inch by inch, the squeak of the hinges lost in the sound of Admiral Havelock’s gravelly voice playing over the tinny recording. Sliding her way into the room it was to find Corvo standing with his back to her, Admiral Havelock’s journal in his hands. There was a rug in this room, and Emily stepped neatly onto it, hands clasped primly behind her back.

“What are you doing?”

She’d never seen Corvo jump before, at least not in surprise, and it made her giggle the way he almost dropped the journal, spinning round guiltily to look at her.

“Emily!”

“Isn’t that rude?” she nodded to the journal in Corvo’s hands, which abruptly snapped shut. “Reading someone else’s thoughts.”

“It’s rude to sneak up on people too.” he replied, some of the tension easing out of his face as he returned the book to the desk.

“You do it all the time,” Emily reminded him, giggling again at the look he gave her. Exasperated was the only word for it. but there was something else there too, and her little heart soared to think it might be pride. She’d snuck up on him! No one could sneak up on Corvo!

“And yes, it’s rude.” he replied, moving forwards and ushering her out of the room, closing the door carefully behind him and locking it with a key he probably shouldn’t have. “So don’t tell anyone. Where are your shoes?”

“Out in the hallway. Why were you doing it?”

“Doing what? Go put your shoes on, your feet are filthy.”

“Reading the journal.” Emily said simply, unwilling to be shook off. “You must have a good reason for doing it. Don’t you trust him?”

When he hesitated to answer Emily knew she’d hit the nail on the head. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. These people were supposed to be their friends, they called themselves _loyalists._ But if Corvo felt the need to spy on them then perhaps she should pay more attention. They were going to be members of her court after all, they told her every day. But maybe they shouldn’t be…after all, mommy had trusted Lord Burrows…

“What were you doing up here, and why are you filthy?” Corvo pressed, leaning down to help her put her shoes on though it had been a long time since she’d needed help with that.

“Oh, just practicing.” Emily told him, trying to shake aside her darker thoughts and focus on her victory. “It’s hard learning to be quiet, but I think I’m getting good at it.” she grinned impishly up at him, and was rewarded with a crooked smile in return. “After all, I managed to sneak up on you!”

 


End file.
